Tallulah Travels
by Buddi
Summary: Tallulah travels to the past to try to save her parents marriage. She meets a few very nice people who would like to help her, and are only a tad familiar. Will she be able to save her parents marriage? Or will the new man in her life be a distraction?
1. French Fries and Puppets

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, nothing else. This is the first chapter of my Meet the Robinsons fanfiction. I decided to start this since i won't be able to post my other stories for a while. I have to find their files. I hope you enjoy this. By the way i've only labled this as a "T" rated story just to be safe.

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Chapter One

A red haired woman who looks to be the age of eighteen is sitting on a wooden bench. She fingers her purple Empire State Building shaped hat in her lap.

"Amber that shirt looks too tight." A woman says, examining the teenager's choice in clothing.

"Mother," Amber says, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's supposed to look this way. You wouldn't know fashion if it bit you on the nose."

The red haired woman tunes out the mother and daughter's fight and turns her attention to a balding man with red hair and a younger red haired man, looking to be around her own age. The red haired man turns around to face her, with a French fry stuck in each nostril. He waves her over, ignoring the perplexed glances he's receiving.

"Come on Tallulah, these fries are amazing!" He calls.

Tallulah looks around nervously but all the same stands up and begins to walk very slowly over to them.

"Laszlo take those French fries out of your nose this instant!" The balding man exclaims in a shrill voice, shaking a puppet on his right hand.

"Now Petunia dear..." The man says to the puppet.

"Don't Petunia me, Fritz!" Petunia the puppet yells.

Laszlo pulls the French fries out of his nose, wishing that his parents would stop fighting. Tallulah walks up to him and puts her hat.

"Our family shopping is so...eventful." Tallulah eyes Laszlo's French fries.

Laszlo throws the French fries in a garbage can. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. Dad seemed to like it..." Laszlo sighs and shrugs. "Why can't he just get over mom? I mean, it's been 16 years!"

Tallulah puts her arm around his shoulders and squeezes him comfortingly. "Someday he will." Tallulah smiles up at Laszlo. "Someday." Tallulah's gaze travels over to Amber and her mother, who are now arguing over a very short mini skirt.

"She doesn't know how lucky she is," Tallulah thinks, "having a mom to help her with girl things." Tallulah sighs wistfully. "I wish my mom was here. Having her around would have made these last few years easier to deal with."

With her arm still around Laszlo's shoulders, Tallulah steers him away from the garbage can and into his favourite music story, 'The Yellow Door.'

"I wonder what it would be like to have a mom," Tallulah thinks as she and Laszlo walk through the entrance, "and not a puppet." She looks over her shoulder to look at the still fighting Fritz and Petunia. "I wonder what would have happened if mom had stayed with dad?"

Tallulah watches Laszlo wander over to a listening station and slip on a headset. The massive headset takes attention away from his bright goggles.

"Tallulah!" Laszlo says loudly, having trouble hearing himself talk over the music. "They have the Goo Goo Dolls! I can't believe they still have them!"

Tallulah hides her smile as Laszlo begins to dance, her arms waving wildly. The cord of the headset is stretched to its maximum length as his steps become wilder.

Tallulah gasps as his hand connects with a CD rack, sending the rack and the Cd's all over the floor. He self-consciously removes his headset.

"Laszlo!" Petunia shrieks. The whirlwind of remarks that Petunia shrieks are hard to understand, but the only thing that is understandable is that Fritz and Petunia are fighting again.

Tallulah takes a crestfallen Laszlo out of the store before the store manager arrives and down to their flying car which is also a time machine. They had to take two flying machines so that they could all fit comfortably. Tallulah watches the blue flying car that Fritz and Petunia will be taking home.

Tallulah suddenly has an idea. She hides the grin that slides on her face, behind a hand, as she watches the two time machines.

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Please review! I would like to know what to fix and how to improve.


	2. Tallulah's Plan

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. I forgot to mention that this takes place about a month before the movie. I made Tallulah 18 and Laszlo 19 in the present because of secret unmentioned reasons. lol. And i just wanted them to be that old, even if it doesn't fir the movie. lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter Two

Back at the Robinson house, Tallulah searches for Laszlo.

"Laszlo?" Tallulah calls as she walks down the art hall. She sees Laszlo hovering by a blank canvas, his propeller hat working effortlessly to keep Laszlo steady.

'Yet another or Cornelius's inventions.' Tallulah smiles to her self.

When Laszlo hears his name being called he turns, but his finger presses the release button on the paint gun he's holding. Before Tallulah has time to react, her brand new white dress is splaterred with red, blue, green, and purple.

Her fists clench at her side and her face turns red. "Laszlo! You did that on purpose!" Tallulah accuses, starring dismayed down at her now colourful dress. She remembers only this morning when she had been admiring how the skirt part of her dress had flowed around her calves. "This will never come out!" Tallulah glowers up at him. "I can never where white around you."

Laszlo floats down to the ground, lifting his goggles up above his eyes so that they're resting on his forehead.

"I'm sorry." Laszlo scuffs his toe along the floor.

Tallulah lets out the breath she had been holding to yell at Laszlo. He didn't react the way he usually does, all defensive. "Oh...well I'm sure it was an accident." She mutters, unsure of what to do now.

Tallulah watches Laszlo warily, he still seems upset about yesterday. Fritz and Petunia seem to be getting on each other's nerves more often then usual, and its effecting Laszlo in a big way.

"You know that their fighting has nothing to do with you right?" Tallulah asks.

"Yeah." Laszlo smiles sadly. "I just wish he wouldn't argue with a puppet." Laszlo laughs weakly.

"You miss her don't you."

Laszlo ducks his head, trying to hide his tears, and nods his head. "I don't remember to much of her." He says shakily.

Tallulah nods her head. "You were only three when she left."

"You were only two." He says miserably. "You would remember less than I do."

"What would you say if I had a plan?" Tallulah asks innocently.

Laszlo looks up at her for the first time since they started this conversation. His eyes were slightly red and puffy from crying silently. "What kind of plan?"

"What if we were to go to the past..."

"No. Cornelius told us to not go into the past. It could mess up the time stream." Laszlo shakes his head.

"I was only telling you what I was thinking." Tallulah says defensively. "I never said I would."

"Good. It wouldn't do us any good for you to disappear too."

Tallulah pulls Laszlo into a hug, ignoring his protests. She knew he wanted a hug, but was only putting up a fight because of his pride. Laszlo manages to get away from Tallulah and as he hovers down the hall he turns to cast a grateful smile back at her.

Tallulah watches him leave with a sad smile. If only she didn't have to lie to him. Tallulah knows that she has to go back to the past, if not for her sake than for her brother's. She can't stand him being so depressed.

She walks to the living room which holds their family album, along with Cornelius's and Franny's. She takes out Fritz's almost empty album and opens it, letting it lie on her crossed legs. She fingers her favourite picture fondly. Fritz is standing behind the real Petunia Robinson, looking down at her with love and devotion that can be seen clearly even from the photograph. Petunia is sitting on a rocking chair with a squirming, smaller Tallulah on her lap. A smaller version of Laszlo is desperately trying to climb up Petunia's leg, while Petunia is reaching down to him.

Tallulah's resolve hardens. She will be going to the past. She will save Fritz and Petunia's marriage. And she'll do it tonight when everyone else is sleeping.

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Please Review!


	3. The Breakout

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, nothing else. I am sooooo sorry for the long pause between updating! It's just been really busy lately. I know this isn't much of a break out...but oh wells. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :D

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Chapter Three

Tallulah sits on her bed, starring out her window and watching the full moon. She shivers as a slight breeze enters her room through the open window. She's already packed a little overnight bag with her toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush and a few of her favourite dresses. Now all she's waiting for is for the rest of the household to go to sleep.

Laszlo, and surprisingly Wilbur are already in bed. The adults are finishing their game of phase 10 and Cornelius is upstairs working on yet another invention. She fingers the purse lying next to her leg. She opens it and takes out a photograph. She traces a loving finger over the familiar images of her mother, father, brother and herself.

She stiffens when she hears the sound of many footsteps walking up the stairs. She gently but hurriedly places the photograph back in her purse, kicks her overnight bag under her bed and slips under the covers of her bed. She rolls into her usual sleeping position and listens to her family trudging into their respected rooms.

She waits a little longer to be sure that they've all reached their rooms. After a few minutes of silence she carefully climbs out of bed, already in her day clothes and shoes. She grabs her purse and her overnight bag and tiptoes out of her room. She continues to tiptoe down the stairs and over to what she hopes to be the garage travel tube.

Luckily its the right travel tube and she arrives at the garage, her gaze falling on the red and white time machine. She casts a warily around the garage, she can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. She shakes her head.

"You're being silly. Everyone's upstairs." Tallulah whispers to herself.

"You know if you keep talking to yourself people will think you're crazy."A voice says, reciting a quote from one of her favourite movies from the 2000's.

Tallulah jumps and muffles a scream behind her hand.

"Jeez, Tallulah it's just me." Laszlo says stepping out of the shadows.

"You scared me!" Tallulah accuses softly.

Laszlo walks over to her and looks over at the time machines. "What are you doing down here Tally?" Laszlo asks suspiciously, using the name he used to call her when she was younger. She smiles at the fond memory. "What are you doing here?"

"I think the real question is, what are you doing here?" Tallulah points at him, snapping out of the past.

"I asked you first!"

"So?"

"I asked first!"

"I don't care! I'm asking you now."

Laszlo and Tallulah stick out their tongues. Tallulah instantly remembers when they did this when they were younger, and smiles. Laszlo smiles too, then becomes serious.

"You're trying to sneak out aren't you?" Tallulah doesn't answer, so Laszlo continues. "You're going to the past."

Tallulah nods her head, forcing herself to look him in the eyes.

"Is there anything I could do to persuade you to not go?" Laszlo asks, his eyes begging for the answer he's hoping for. Tallulah shakes her head tightly, refusing to give in. Laszlo sighs, letting his shoulders slump.

"Laszlo, I need to go back there! I need to know why she left us." Tallulah cries softly. "Maybe I can even convince her to stay."

"Tallulah, it's not good to mess with the past."

"Please Laszlo. Please, cover for me. I'll only be a few days at the most."

Laszlo looks at his sister, pleading with him. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "Fine. I'll do it."

Tallulah jumps up and down, clapping her hands quietly. "Thank you Laszlo!" She throws her arms around him and hugs him tightly.

"Just promise me you'll be careful." He mumbles in her shoulder, hiding his fearful tears. "I can't stand loosing my little sister too."

Tallulah cradles the back of his head comfortingly. "I promise." She steps away from Laszlo and dances towards the red and white time machine. "I'll only be a few days Laszlo, I promise. Then I'll come back."

Laszlo holds up his pinky finger and shakes it. Tallulah raises hers and shakes it too. She throws her overnight bag into the time machine and waits as Laszlo opens the garage door for her. She speeds off into the night and in a flash of light she's gone, leaving Laszlo standing by the open door with a teardrop clinging to the edge of his nose.

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Please Review!


	4. Sleeping Bags and Dusty Roads

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the plot and my OC's. I am SO sorry for not posting for almost a year...i had a REALLY bad case of Writer's Block...I just hope you can all forgive me.

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Chapter 4

Tallulah blinks as the bright light surrounding the time machine disappears. She narrows her eyes in the darkness, searching for a place to land and to hide the time machine. She spots an abandoned building and swoops down towards it and maneuvers the time machine to a gentle landing on the lawn.

She searches the building, looking for a hiding place. As she walks around the perimeter she trips on a tree root and crashes through a bush. She shakily stands up and brushes off the dirt on her dress. Her jaw drops as she realizes that she's found the perfect spot to hide the time machine. There's a whole in the side of the wall just big enough to fit the time machine. She walks into the gaping whole and surveys the room. If she can manage to push the time machine into the whole, hiding it will be no problem. She could easily push the time machine into a deep corner and leave it there for a few days.

She jogs back to the time machine and pushes with all her might. She manages to move it a few centimeters.

"This is gonna take a while..." Tallulah mutters. She turns back to her overnight bag. She fishes through its contents and comes up with a small gadget in her hand. She points the gadget at the time machine and pushes one of the buttons. As if by magic, the time machine rolls smoothly through the bushes and into the corner of the hide-out.

Tallulah hides the gadget below her clothes in the overnight bag. She walks into the hide-out and opens the time machine. She pulls out the sleeping bag she had stashed in there and lays it on the ground. She slips into the sleeping bag and curls up to go to sleep.

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Tallulah wakes up confused. Instead of waking up to the sounds of birds like every morning, she wakes up to silence. It takes a few minutes for her muddled, sleep-filled mind to remember why she's huddled on the cold ground instead of her warm bed amongst her stuffed animals. She grudgingly slips out of the warmth of her sleeping bag and as quickly as possible, and changes into one of the dresses she packed. She slings the bag over her shoulder, stuffs the sleeping bag into the time machine, and slips the keys into her purse.

She walks out of the hide-out and through the bushes. She brushes the dirt off her sky blue dress and surveys her surroundings.

"Not very attractive...but it'll suit my needs." Tallulah rearranges the bushes, attempting to make it seem like no one's been walking through them. "Now all I need to do is find out how to get to town...I know I passed it along the way..."

Tallulah paces across the lawn, trying to think of a solution.

"I guess I could walk down the road, but which way would I go?" Tallulah walks to the edge of the road and looks down each way. "Hmm...someone must drive past this road at some point in the day...all I have to do it walk down it and someone will come pick me up no problem." Fritz's warning at accepting rides from strangers rings in ears. "But I'm 18 now...so I should be fine."

Without another thought, Tallulah turns left and walks along the roadside, her back to the sun. She checks her watch. "It's only 10:15, surely someone will drive by on their way to town." Tallulah walks leisurely down the road, her dress ruffling in the slight breeze and her overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

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Tallulah wipes at a trail of sweat sliding down her face. In the past hour and a half, the sun had grown uncomfortably hot. The only relief coming from the slight and uncommon breeze. Tallulah coughs, her throat dry.

"Why hasn't anyone driven by yet. You'd think someone would need to drive to work on Monday morning." Tallulah's stomach rumbles. "And whats more is, I'm starving. I would do **anything** for a burger and fries." Tallulah pauses. "A coke wouldn't be to bad either." Tallulah look up into the sky, shading her eyes from the sun, and enjoys the cool rush of the wind.

The sound of rubber on dirt alerts Tallulah. She whips around, her dress blowing around her calves and her hair blowing in front of her eyes. She hastily tries to control her hair while trying to see the car. A red 1989 Toyota pulls up beside her.

Tallulah looks hopefully through the passenger's window. The driver leans over and rolls down the window.

"Excuse me miss, I noticed you walking and I was wondering if you wanted a lift." A male voice says politely.

Tallulah smiles relieved. She glances down at her blue dress that is now covered with dust, and equally dusty overnight bag.

As if knowing where her thoughts lay, the man laughs.

"I don't mind about the dust. Its easy enough to clean up."

"You don't even know who I am, or where I'm going." Tallulah bites her lip, suddenly the threat of strangers very real and scary.

"I know that you look exhausted. Are you headed into town? If you walk it'll take about forty-five minutes to an hour."

Tallulah sighs, she doesn't think her legs could stand much more walking, and besides she's going to have heat stroke if she doesn't get out of the sun soon.

"Are you sure this is all right with you?" Tallulah asks hesitantly as he pushes open the passenger door.

"Of course, I just want to help."

Tallulah waits for him to slide back into the driver seat before sitting down. She looks over at him out of the corner of her eye as he turns the ignition. The M.I.T. Sweater hugging his lanky frame, and the red Harvard cap covers his blond hair.

As if feeling her eyes on him, he turns slightly to look at her and smiles. Tallulah smiles shyly.

"By the way, I'm Cornelius. What's your name?"

Tallulah looks into his friendly face and hesitates. "My name is...Tally."

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Please Review! I probably dont deserve any reviews since I havent done my job in posting chapters but all the same I would be honoured if you chose to review.


	5. Cornelius

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except for plot and OCs. I am SOOOOOO sorry D:

I didn't mean for the gap to be this long. Over the summer I had a super duper bad case of Writer's Block for EVERYTHING! And then school started and every teacher decided to give me LOADS of homework! I'm sooooo sorry D:

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Chapter 5

"Where is it that you're trying to go?" Cornelius asks, not taking his eyes off the road.

Tallulah pauses, thinking fast. "I'm here looking for a relative." She glances over at Cornelius. "My aunt." She adds.

Cornelius frowns, but says nothing.

"What?" Tallulah asks, nervous.

"I was just trying to figure out, how that links you to wandering around in the middle of nowhere." Cornelius says slowly, clearly thinking through everything.

Tallulah sighs. Cornelius casts a curious glance over at her before looking back at the road. Tallulah stares out the window, trying to think up a reasonable story, fiddling with the bag's strap.

"Look." Cornelius says, startling her. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I don't know you, and you don't know me."

Tallulah freezes, for some reason she can't stand to hurt his feelings.

"No, it's not that...it's just...complicated." Tallulah finishes, feeling lame.

"Well, we're not at the town yet. There's time." Cornelius shrugs.

"Well...my family is kind of split up, scattered if you would." Tallulah starts. She looks over at Cornelius. "I've taken it upon myself to find them, maybe bring them back together." Tallulah's voice shakes with emotion.

Cornelius shifts the gear before patting her hand sympathetically. "I know what it's like to not know your family." He whispers. She smiles gratefully at him. He smiles at her before lifting his hand off hers and turning back to the road.

"So...I've been hitching rides for a while now. Only, since the last driver dropped me off no ones come by." Tallulah looks away from him. "Until now."

There's a small silence before Cornelius begins to speak. "I hope you find your aunt. And if you have any trouble at all, or just want someone to talk to, come find me." He smiles at her again.

He slows to a stop at a faded stop sign, and reaches across Tallulah so he reach the glove compartment. He pulls out a red pen and a blue notebook, and begins to scribble something down. Tallulah looks nervously behind her, worried about oncoming cars.

Cornelius silently hands her the paper, places the pen behind his ear, and puts the car in drive again. Tallulah glances down at the paper.

Cornelius (785) 659-3845

"We're almost there." Cornelius mummers.

Suddenly a fluttery feeling envelops Tallulah. "So uh...what were you doing driving out here?"

Cornelius chuckles. "I was visiting an old friend." He glances over at Tallulah. "We'd grown up together, but his family moved...so I decided to pay him a visit." He explains.

"So Tally, where do you..."

"Is that it?" Tallulah interrupts, pointing to the collecting of buildings up ahead.

"Yes, that's it." Cornelius smiles.

Tallulah gasps, it looks nothing like the city she had grown up in. Half the buildings were old looking, under repair of just...ordinary looking. She presses her nose against the window in the attempt to read a sign.

"Robinson Incorporated?" Tallulah whispers. "Why isn't it Robinson Industries..."

"Robinson Industries?" Cornelius asks. "What's that?"

"Oh its nothing." Tallulah murmurs.

"Robinson Industries." Cornelius repeats thoughtfully.

Tallulah continues to gaze out the window, watching the city slide by.

"Where is it that you need to go?" Cornelius asks.

"Oh, Mackinaw Park is good."

"Where?"

Tallulah resists the urge to smack herself, Mackinaw Park wasn't named Mackinaw Park until after her family separated. "I mean Samuelson Park."

A few minutes later, Cornelius pulls up in front of Samuelson Park.

"Are you going to be alright? You have somewhere to stay?" He asks concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Tallulah chews the bottom of her lip nervously. She slips the bag strap over her head, and pushes the passenger open.

"Don't hesitate to contact me." Cornelius says, as she steps out. "There's always someone at home so they won't miss your call."

Tallulah looks over her shoulder. "Thank-you. I'll keep that in mind." She smiles.

Tallulah shuts the door and steps back. Cornelius drives slowly away and waves good-bye. Tallulah gives the tiniest of waves, and turns to face the park entrance.

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Reviews are welcome :D


	6. MiniMe

Hello again. It's been a while D: I'm REALLY sorry for not updating for about a year...things have been hectic and I've had a major case of Writer's Block. This was actually finished about 2 days ago...just haven't had time to actually post it. So i hope you enjoy this and hopefully you all don't hate me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing only the plot

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Chapter 6

After making sure that Cornelius had turned the corner, Tallulah strode away from the park. Her old house is three blocks away and the sun is shining but Tallulah doesn't notice, she's too focused on seeing her mother. Not watching where she's going, she runs into a small body.

"Oof." The little girl gasps as she lands on the ground.

"Oh no." Tallulah inhales sharply. "I'm sorry!" Tallulah bends down to see if the girl is unhurt.

"I'm 'k." The little girl smiles brightly.

Tallulah gasps as the little girl turns to face her. Her flaming red hair is pulled back in two pigtails, and she's missing her front tooth but there's no mistaking it; Tallulah has run into her three-year old self.

The little girl starts to stand, still rather awkwardly, but steady enough. Tallulah reaches out to catch her if she falls.

"Tallulah?" A woman calls. "Tall-Tallulah!" A woman with red hair stands at the entrance to house just in front of them. Older Tallulah, scrambles to her full height, gaping at the woman. "Come inside right now! How many times have I told you to not wander off?" The woman, Tallulah's mother, orders; never taking her eyes off of the stranger that's her daughter.

The younger Tallulah scampers off to the house, her pigtails bouncing. Watching the stranger with distrust, her mother closes the door behind her.

Gaping, Tallulah edges her way towards the house. She walks up the porch steps and stands, staring at the front door. Unsure of what to do or when she decided to walk up to the house, she turns. To her surprise, the door opens to reveal her mother.

"Yes?" She huffs, watching her closely.

"Oh, I was...just wondering if this was the Robinson household?"

"It may be...who wants to know?" She asks suspiciously.

"I'm Tally. I'm looking for my aunt and uncle."

"Humph." The woman opens the door a little wider. "I don't know of any Tally..."

"Oh my mistake. I'm sorry for disturbing you." Tallulah begins to back up. "I'll just leave."

"Wai.."

"Hi darling." Tallulah's eyes snap up to the man walking up from behind her mother. He wraps his arms around her middle and rests his chin on her shoulder. "Oh? And who's this?" He smiles at her while nuzzling into her mother's neck, who closes her eyes in content.

Tallulah bolts, her dress flapping around her, her suitcase bumping into her calves. It's obvious they're in love, and are very comfortable with each other. Which makes this next discovery extremely hard to believe. Whoever that man was, was not her father.

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Please Review :3


	7. Lost and Confused

Disclaimer: I do not own anything...only the plot...and OCs. So...this was technically done a few days ago...I was just trying to change up this chapter...but that didn't end up happening...that being said, I hope you enjoy it

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Chapter 7

"I can't believe it!" Tallulah whispers furiously to herself. "She's cheating on dad? Why can't I remember him!" She quietly opens the door to the backyard and sneaks to a window, hidden from the neighbors by tall, thick trees.

Carefully peering into the window so she can easily fling herself out of sight, she watches as her mother and the man make their way back down to the living room.

"Tally, go on up to your bedroom. Mr. Werby and I need to have grown-up time." Her mother says, slightly muffled by the window, in that tone that is meant to sound as a suggestion but really isn't.

"Ok mommy." Tallulah watches herself wrap her arms around her mother's legs and trot up the stairs and out of sight.

The two stand a good distance apart, not far enough away to appear unfriendly, but close enough to be seen as a couple. Their faces are turned up until, supposedly, little Tallulah reaches her room and shuts her door. Their faces snap to each other's, a wild, almost hungry, look apparent in their eyes.

"My pet." Mr. Werby whispers, his hand reaching up to cup her mother's cheek, who giggles softly. Tallulah makes a face at the name. Her father always called her mother "his beautiful flower."

Mr. Werby gently pulls her mother closer and lowers his face to her shoulder, nibbling the tender skin. Though sickened by her mother's lack of loyalty and repulsed by the scene drawing out before her, Tallulah still couldn't drag her eyes away. She wondered what could have made her mother succumb to such things. Was her mother not happy with her father? If so, why? He was completely devoted to her. Obviously he was, he made a hand-puppet of her.

The cawing of a crow breaks into her trance-like-state. Before she can be drawn to the shapes of her mother and Mr. Werby on the couch, she stands and walks out of the garden, almost forgetting to shut the back-door.

Wandering aimlessly down her old street, her hand finds its way into one of her overnight bag's pockets. She retracts her hand, puzzled. In it is a scrap of rumpled up paper. She opens it to find Cornelius's phone number. Wordlessly, she digs out her cell phone, checks that the signal is strong, and dials the number. Feeling the back of her eyes beginning to prickle with oncoming tears, Tallulah closes her eyes and tries to breathe deeply.

After the third ring, a woman's voice answers. "Hello?"

Tallulah opens her mouth but no words come out.

"Hello?" The woman asks again.

Tallulah clears her throat. "H-hello? Is this uh..." Tallulah freezes, she was never told Cornelius's last name. "Does...Cornelius live here?"

"...Why...yes...he does. Who is this?" Her voice is pleasant enough.

"Just he was very nice to me and nowI'mlostandscaredand..." her words start to rush together as a new batch of tears threaten to overflow.

"I'm sorry dear." The woman's voice says, sounding sincere. "He's not home yet. You might find him at his flat..."

"Oh." A sharp sting of hurt flashes through Tallulah's chest. _'Don't be silly,'_ Tallulah scolds herself, _'he didn't know you at all...why would he give you his real number?'_

"It's getting renovated, I'm assuming that's why he gave you our number." The woman says thoughtfully, almost as if she didn't mean to say it out loud.

Tallulah releases a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Not know what else to say, a small "Oh" escapes her lips.

"Oh wait, that's him now. You hold on dearie, I'll call him."

Tallulah scuffs her shoe on the side-walk while she waits, nervously biting her lip.

"Hello?" Cornelius's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. "Tally?"

"Hi." She responds statically.

"Is everything alright? My mother looked very concerned."

Tallulah breathes in deeply. "Things aren't going so well with...finding my aunt. And it's getting late, I don't know where to go, and I have little money left...you'd think I would have thought to bring more but I guess I wasn't thinking properly when I left and..." Tallulah rambles, her fear escalating with every word she says.

"Tally." Cornelius interrupts her. His voice seems to have a calming effect, for Tallulah closes her mouth and fights against her tears. "I'm going to come pick you up and take you home. My flat is finished and you can sleep in the extra bedroom."

"Cornelius...I can't..." Trying to repress the leap in her chest, she clenches her fist. The warning of going anywhere with a stranger popped into her head again. But...he seemed so nice...and his mother...if it really is his mother...

"Please, I insist. You can't stay on the street, it's not safe." There's a pause. "I know you just met me, and I you, but...I want to help."

Not knowing what else to do, she squanders her fears and nods her head. "Only if you insist. I don't want to be any trouble."

"Don't worry about anything. I promise you'll be safe with me." Tallulah could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Now where are you? I could pick you up and give you a tour. Maybe then I wouldn't seem so scary." He teases.

"Oh you're not **that** scary." Tallulah laughs despite herself.

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Please Review :3

I'm sorry for the ending...I didn't know how to end it...and I was gonna change it but I didn't know how


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